The United States has a long and troubling history of involvement in Iraqi affairs. This involvement dates back to the 1960s when the CIA supported two successful Ba'ath Party coups against the party in power. The second coup in 1968 prepared the way forward for Saddam Hussein, who became President of Iraq in 1979.
Forty years after the launch of Saddam Hussein's career, I find myself wondering how the United States might appear through Iraqi eyes. How might someone coming of age in Baghdad after the end of the first Gulf War in 1991 perceive us?
His first memory of a U.S. official might be of Madeleine Albright. In 1996, Albright said "we think the price is worth it" in response to a journalist's question as to whether the deaths of a half a million children resulting from U.S. sanctions were justified. He would certainly remember the death and destruction rained down by U.S. bombs during the "shock and awe" attack on Baghdad in March 2003. He would also remember the collapse of civil society following the fall of Baghdad several weeks later, which remains in enormous disarray even now.
This Iraqi would probably have been puzzled and angered by George W. Bush's mock search for weapons of mass destruction in the Oval Office a year after the invasion. He would not have understood why the journalists attending the event laughed so much. That wonder would have paled, however, in comparison to his wonder at Bush's re-election in the fall of 2004 after the reasons his administration provided for invading Iraq had been totally discredited.
Most of the suffering in any modern war is borne by noncombatants. The predictable post-invasion breakdown in sanitation and health services in Iraq has caused far more deaths than bombs, IEDs and guns. A year ago, the British polling agency Opinion Research Business estimated total Iraqi deaths at more than 1.2 million. In their book, "The Three Trillion Dollar War," Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes calculate the cost to Iraqi society of these mostly civilian deaths at $8.6 trillion. This figure far exceeds the high cost to U.S. society of the war.
The Iraqi I have been imagining might wonder whether the people of the United States feel any responsibility for the damage wrought by their government's invasion and occupation of his country. While few major party candidates for federal office have yet raised the issue of reparations, he might be gladdened to learn that many U.S.-based organizations have done so. Two of these organizations are Iraq Veterans Against the War (ivaw.org) and Direct Aid Iraq (www.directaidiraq.org). Direct Aid Iraq also provides funds to pay for medical expenses of Iraqi refugees in Jordan.
Strength Through Peace and the Fort Collins Mennonite Fellowship are honored to be bringing Noah Baker Merrill of Direct Aid Iraq to Fort Collins at 7 p.m. Monday. Merrill will be speaking about the work performed by his organization and about how we can help promote a lasting, healing peace for Iraq in partnership with Iraqis. Our willingness to support such work will ultimately say a great deal about us as a people.
Kevin Cross is the convener of Strength Through Peace. For more information about Noah Baker Merrill visit to Fort Collins or to make a donation to Direct Aid Iraq, contact Strength Through Peace at 419-8944 or info@cjpe.org.